Knight at the Movies Archives
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Harry & Company have definitely put away childish things in their fifth cinematic outing, and an offbeat variation on The Bad Seed
As little Carol Ann wailed in the sequel to Poltergeist, “They’re baaaaaaaack” so it is with Harry & the Pottersons aka the bespectacled
teen wizard and his fellow witches and wizards of the Hogwarts school for same. This fifth film outing, officially dubbed Harry
Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (hereinafter HP5) finalizes what has become increasingly clear as our precocious
threesome (Harry, Hermione and Ron) have sprouted up like weeds: the time to play with childish things has ceased and danger (in
the form of Lord Voldemort and his other dark disciples) is approaching. From here on out the Harry Potter pictures are no longer
suitable for the kiddies. But for adults and those children that have become teens in the long lag time between pictures (and the
encyclopedia sized books) the forthcoming battle between darkness and light is thrilling. HP5 sets in motion what is going to be a
slam bang finish.
The movie’s tagline, “The rebellion begins” is indeed apt and pretty much sums up the film: it’s good versus evil and battle lines are
being drawn. As the movie begins Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is once again back with his horrid adopted family. Since we last saw them
(in HP3) they’ve gotten older, larger and even more cartoonishly awful. Now the porcine son Dudley is not just an insufferable slag,
he’s a bully homophobe who in the opening moment so the picture taunts Harry with gay slurs. When Harry fights off an attack by a
death eater moments later, however, he is brought before the Ministry of Magic to defend his actions. It becomes clear almost at
once that a lot of good old fashioned political maneuvering is going on behind the scenes – the Ministry doesn’t believe Harry’s story
that Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) is back or that he murdered the hunky Diggery in the previous episode. The Ministry is using the
press to smear Harry and his classmates and the rest of those in the witchy realm believe the propaganda. Just about everyone, it
seems, prefers to remain an Isolationist rather than deal with the reality of the dark lord’s return. Harry and his trusty friends,
Hermione, Ron, some of the Hogwarts faculty, etc., prefer to quietly believe his story.
The plot seems to eerily mirror political events of the past few years (and author J.K. Rowling seems prescient in that regard) and
new to the series director David Yates takes advantage of the onscreen political skullduggery mirroring reality. But the allegories
aside, Yates has filled his movie with marvelous visual set pieces that have been a reason to love the series all along – the Ministry
of Magic, for example, is breathtakingly realized. The majority of the old characters are back – from Harry’s horrible,
aforementioned adopted family, to the sneering Draco father and son, and even Emma Thompson as Hogwarts most bewildered
teacher. All are welcome and make their presence felt in their smidgens of screen time.
New to the cast of characters are Helena Bonham Carter as an escaped convict from Azkaban Prison and Imelda Staunton as Imelda
Umbridge, a smiling, passive/aggressive, rigid conservative witch, a chosen representative of the Ministry who quickly forces
allegiance to her no nonsense rules, administered with absolute relish. Even Imelda, with her pillbox hats and pink, sensible suits,
an obvious parody of Queen Elizabeth II, serves a political function. Staunton is immensely entertaining and adds a great deal of
vitality to the plot (and spars memorably with Maggie Smith at one point).
The adult like nature of the picture is emphasized every time one looks at the physical changes in three leads over the six years
that have elapsed since the series began, especially Radcliffe. As the mischief prone trio has neared the end of their teenage years
their faces have become elongated, their troubles with the all too human curse of acne more apparent, and their bodies have
ripened into recognizable adult form. Not only are they training themselves for the battle with the dark forces ahead, but their
raging hormones are REALLY ready to burst (Harry finally gets his first screen kiss during a lull in the action – one of the movie’s few
brief respites from the plot).
This physical transformation accompanies the serious turn the series has taken with HP5 (and will continue to go in as it winds up
over the next couple of years). The 17 year-old Radcliffe emphasized this transition from child to tween to young adult process
himself when he posed for nearly naked photos to publicize his starring role in a revival of “Equus” in London late last year. Like his
alter ego and a slew of child stars before him, apparently, Radcliffe is ready and eager to enter the most treacherous and deadliest
of worlds: that of adulthood. Even for a wizard as fully in command of his powers as Harry is, that’s going to be a tricky proposition.
Like a preening papa, I’m a tad nostalgic to see my little Harry grown and nearly gone but conversely, I can’t wait for the adventures
to come. Yates’ picture has set up this last great trio of movies in the series beautifully. I've learned over the years that Warner
Bros. is taking great care with the movies and is doing J.K. Rowling and her beloved series proud. There hasn't been a dud in the
bunch (okay, HP2 wasn't the greatest...) and HP5 cast yet another spell over me.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Joshua is the story of a sophisticated little boy who suffers from a really bad case of sibling rivalry. Or so it would appear from this
latest entry in the killer kid movie genre that offers a few nice twists and turns (including one that will be of interest to gay
audiences) as it wends along. When the anxiety prone Abby (Vera Farmiga who sports the worst movie wig since Meryl Streep’s in
Silkwood) and easy going husband stockbroker Brad (Sam Rockwell) bring home their new baby girl they don’t notice at first any
changes in their preternaturally neat and tidy son whose always dressed in a suit, tie and is perfectly coiffed. Über sophisticate
Joshua (Jacob Kogan) continues to share piano duets with his gay uncle (the droll Dallas Roberts) and otherwise act the perfect
gentleman although he does try to clue in his distracted dad that things are off by asking, “Do you ever feel weird about your weird
son?” Dad doesn’t take the hint but as Abby’s postpartum depression escalates along with pressures on Brad, suspicions do finally
kick in.
The audience, of course, sees right through this little Bad Seed from the get go, having watched many other killer kid movies. We
know all about conniving children who hide their icy interiors with good manners but like other unwitting family members in these
movies, Joshua has no trouble convincing the adults that he’s just a harmless, normal kid. Not as fun as other movies of the genre
(it’s too high falutin’), Joshua does have moments of genuine creepiness, another over the top performance from Farmiga, and a
literal carbon copy of Celia Weston’s evangelical mother character from Junebug. There is also an effective thriller score by Nico Muhly.
*I didn't screen HP5 until after my print deadline but have decided to include my review here.
teen wizard and his fellow witches and wizards of the Hogwarts school for same. This fifth film outing, officially dubbed Harry
Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (hereinafter HP5) finalizes what has become increasingly clear as our precocious
threesome (Harry, Hermione and Ron) have sprouted up like weeds: the time to play with childish things has ceased and danger (in
the form of Lord Voldemort and his other dark disciples) is approaching. From here on out the Harry Potter pictures are no longer
suitable for the kiddies. But for adults and those children that have become teens in the long lag time between pictures (and the
encyclopedia sized books) the forthcoming battle between darkness and light is thrilling. HP5 sets in motion what is going to be a
slam bang finish.
The movie’s tagline, “The rebellion begins” is indeed apt and pretty much sums up the film: it’s good versus evil and battle lines are
being drawn. As the movie begins Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is once again back with his horrid adopted family. Since we last saw them
(in HP3) they’ve gotten older, larger and even more cartoonishly awful. Now the porcine son Dudley is not just an insufferable slag,
he’s a bully homophobe who in the opening moment so the picture taunts Harry with gay slurs. When Harry fights off an attack by a
death eater moments later, however, he is brought before the Ministry of Magic to defend his actions. It becomes clear almost at
once that a lot of good old fashioned political maneuvering is going on behind the scenes – the Ministry doesn’t believe Harry’s story
that Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) is back or that he murdered the hunky Diggery in the previous episode. The Ministry is using the
press to smear Harry and his classmates and the rest of those in the witchy realm believe the propaganda. Just about everyone, it
seems, prefers to remain an Isolationist rather than deal with the reality of the dark lord’s return. Harry and his trusty friends,
Hermione, Ron, some of the Hogwarts faculty, etc., prefer to quietly believe his story.
The plot seems to eerily mirror political events of the past few years (and author J.K. Rowling seems prescient in that regard) and
new to the series director David Yates takes advantage of the onscreen political skullduggery mirroring reality. But the allegories
aside, Yates has filled his movie with marvelous visual set pieces that have been a reason to love the series all along – the Ministry
of Magic, for example, is breathtakingly realized. The majority of the old characters are back – from Harry’s horrible,
aforementioned adopted family, to the sneering Draco father and son, and even Emma Thompson as Hogwarts most bewildered
teacher. All are welcome and make their presence felt in their smidgens of screen time.
New to the cast of characters are Helena Bonham Carter as an escaped convict from Azkaban Prison and Imelda Staunton as Imelda
Umbridge, a smiling, passive/aggressive, rigid conservative witch, a chosen representative of the Ministry who quickly forces
allegiance to her no nonsense rules, administered with absolute relish. Even Imelda, with her pillbox hats and pink, sensible suits,
an obvious parody of Queen Elizabeth II, serves a political function. Staunton is immensely entertaining and adds a great deal of
vitality to the plot (and spars memorably with Maggie Smith at one point).
The adult like nature of the picture is emphasized every time one looks at the physical changes in three leads over the six years
that have elapsed since the series began, especially Radcliffe. As the mischief prone trio has neared the end of their teenage years
their faces have become elongated, their troubles with the all too human curse of acne more apparent, and their bodies have
ripened into recognizable adult form. Not only are they training themselves for the battle with the dark forces ahead, but their
raging hormones are REALLY ready to burst (Harry finally gets his first screen kiss during a lull in the action – one of the movie’s few
brief respites from the plot).
This physical transformation accompanies the serious turn the series has taken with HP5 (and will continue to go in as it winds up
over the next couple of years). The 17 year-old Radcliffe emphasized this transition from child to tween to young adult process
himself when he posed for nearly naked photos to publicize his starring role in a revival of “Equus” in London late last year. Like his
alter ego and a slew of child stars before him, apparently, Radcliffe is ready and eager to enter the most treacherous and deadliest
of worlds: that of adulthood. Even for a wizard as fully in command of his powers as Harry is, that’s going to be a tricky proposition.
Like a preening papa, I’m a tad nostalgic to see my little Harry grown and nearly gone but conversely, I can’t wait for the adventures
to come. Yates’ picture has set up this last great trio of movies in the series beautifully. I've learned over the years that Warner
Bros. is taking great care with the movies and is doing J.K. Rowling and her beloved series proud. There hasn't been a dud in the
bunch (okay, HP2 wasn't the greatest...) and HP5 cast yet another spell over me.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Joshua is the story of a sophisticated little boy who suffers from a really bad case of sibling rivalry. Or so it would appear from this
latest entry in the killer kid movie genre that offers a few nice twists and turns (including one that will be of interest to gay
audiences) as it wends along. When the anxiety prone Abby (Vera Farmiga who sports the worst movie wig since Meryl Streep’s in
Silkwood) and easy going husband stockbroker Brad (Sam Rockwell) bring home their new baby girl they don’t notice at first any
changes in their preternaturally neat and tidy son whose always dressed in a suit, tie and is perfectly coiffed. Über sophisticate
Joshua (Jacob Kogan) continues to share piano duets with his gay uncle (the droll Dallas Roberts) and otherwise act the perfect
gentleman although he does try to clue in his distracted dad that things are off by asking, “Do you ever feel weird about your weird
son?” Dad doesn’t take the hint but as Abby’s postpartum depression escalates along with pressures on Brad, suspicions do finally
kick in.
The audience, of course, sees right through this little Bad Seed from the get go, having watched many other killer kid movies. We
know all about conniving children who hide their icy interiors with good manners but like other unwitting family members in these
movies, Joshua has no trouble convincing the adults that he’s just a harmless, normal kid. Not as fun as other movies of the genre
(it’s too high falutin’), Joshua does have moments of genuine creepiness, another over the top performance from Farmiga, and a
literal carbon copy of Celia Weston’s evangelical mother character from Junebug. There is also an effective thriller score by Nico Muhly.
*I didn't screen HP5 until after my print deadline but have decided to include my review here.
Darkening Skies:
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix-Joshua
7-11-07 Windy City Times Knight at the Movies Column*
By Richard Knight, Jr.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix-Joshua
7-11-07 Windy City Times Knight at the Movies Column*
By Richard Knight, Jr.
